Thinking Out Loud
by jaykw2614
Summary: Set a few weeks after the most amazing season finale. Schmidt and Cece spend some time alone at Cece's apartment, but are not alone for too long. Inspired by Ed Sheeran song.
1. I Fall in Love with you Every Single Day

**It's been a while since I've posted any Schmece Stories. I have several in the making but I have been having severe writers block. I'm working through it as quickly as I can so with any luck, I will hopefully have a few more stories posted within the next few months. Thank you for being so patient and supportive. And thank you for reading the stories I have posted. It means a lot to me. Hope everyone likes this one. Please review/ favorite and feel free to share it with other Schmece fans out there!**

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Perfect. Cece had found herself using that word a lot lately. For the past six weeks, everything in her life was finally perfect. Not only was she back together with the love of her life, but now they were engaged. Every time she replayed his proposal in her mind, she couldn't help but smile.

She woke up from yet another night of peaceful sleep, and found herself wrapped in Schmidt's arms. She looked over at him, still fast asleep and grinned before she nestled her head back into the crook of his neck, gently kissed the underside of his chin and closed her eyes again. Absolutely perfect.

One Hour Later

Schmidt and Cece were startled awake by the sounds their closest friends just outside the door in the kitchen, screaming and banging on pots and pans. The closed door allowed for their voices to be muffled, but not enough to be completely silent. From the tone they could hear, they were definitely arguing. Then again, there was no other reason for them to be that loud this early and not be going at each other.

"What the hell is going on out there?" Cece asked in irritation. She was not a morning person at all. Schmidt rubbed his eyes trying to wake himself up.

"I have no idea." He said groggily, "I guess the kids are up." Cece threw a pillow over her head, but that was no help. She could still hear the idiots she called her friends. She angrily slammed the pillow down and sat up in the bed, turning to face her fiancé.

"Ugh. I'm going to kill them!"

"Welcome to my world." Schmidt said with his eyes still closed. Part of him was still half asleep.

"Can you please go deal with that?" Schmidt opened one eye to look at her and saw pure annoyance on her face.

"Okay." He threw the covers off of himself and stood up grabbing his shirt and shorts from the floor and quickly throwing them on. As he made his way to the bedroom door, he looked back at Cece. "Are you coming?"

Cece got up out of bed with the sheet still wrapped around her. "Yeah. I just need to get dressed first." She walked over to him and gave him a quick yet sweet kiss before he left the room.

Schmidt walked into the kitchen to find Nick and Winston standing next to a dirty stove top covered in what looked to be white dust, and Jess about five feet away holding a fire extinguisher. All three were yelling at each other at the top of their lungs and Schmidt was almost afraid to ask what happened.

"Guys! Guys! GUYS!" Schmidt screamed over them finally getting their attention. "What the hell is going on?" Once again, they all began to speak trying to tell their side of things, but as the others began to talk, they each felt the need to talk over them. "Hang on!" Schmidt yelled. "One at a time. Please."

"Well," Nick began, "I was making myself some breakfast. Then Winston got mad because I was using his and Coach's _'special crepe pan'_."

"-That pan is only supposed to be used for making delicious, light and fluffy treats. Not whatever greasy, artery clogging mess you call yourself trying to cook." Winston couldn't help how ridiculous he sounded.

"Anyway, while we were arguing about that, the stove caught fire…again. Then here comes Jess out of nowhere and sprays us with the fire extinguisher, WITHOUT EVEN A WARNING!"

"Hey," Jess finally chimed in. "I told you guys to move, you just weren't paying attention." That was true. The guys were so wrapped up in their argument over the pan of choice that couldn't hear Jess' clear cut warning to move out of the line of fire.

"That doesn't give you the right to spray us with that crap all willy-nilly! What if that got in our mouths? It could be toxic!" Nick's forehead vein was now completely visible.

"I'm sorry! I was trying to stop the loft from burning down around us!"

"Now look at my crepe pan!" Winston looked like he was about to cry. "It's ruined! This represented a memory I shared with Coach!"

"Winston, it's just a pan. What about my food? I can't eat that now!" Schmidt and Jess both rolled their eyes at that statement. Winston's aggravation was understandable at least, but all Nick cared about was food.

"You shouldn't be eating that crap anyways ya' Fat-Ass! What are you trying to do… _die_?!"

Cece finally emerged from Schmidt's room dressed in her usual morning attire of a spaghetti strap tank top and a pair of pajama pants. Nick and Winston immediately cringed at the sight of the look on her face. She was about ready to kill somebody.

"Seriously you guys? What the hell?" Cece looked back and forth between the guys and Jess and had figured out what had happened based on context.

"What's your problem?" Jess asked her best friend with somewhat of an attitude, getting looks from each of the guys. Unlike Nick, Winston and occasionally Schmidt, Jess wasn't afraid to talk back to Cece. After having been best friends for over twenty years and finally getting into a brawl with her, there was no fear about ruining their friendship.

"My problem?" Cece's tone of voice caused the hairs on the back of Schmidt's neck to stand up. He was debating on whether or not he should hold her back. "I don't like being woken up at eight in the morning on a Saturday because you three morons can't make breakfast." Schmidt just nodded his head along with what she was saying. He was practicing his husbandly duties early.

Jess, however, got irritated. "I know you two aren't coming at us with noise complaints. We've heard everything coming out of that bedroom for the last six weeks. And we mean _everything_! All those afternoon quickies, Schmidt crying like a little bitch, and don't even get me started on those 3 am 'wake-up calls'."

Schmidt became defensive. He'd be damned if he allowed anybody to get on his case about succumbing to his natural emotions. "I have said it before and I'll say it again. I create a free environment in the bedroom. What happens beyond those doors is a sacred thing. That is Darwin's Jungle!"

"Okay, look." Jess began evening her tone to sound sincere in what she was about to say. "Cece, Schmidt, you guys know we love you…so much, and we are so happy for you guys, but…we just can't take it anymore. All the noises coming from that room… its driving us up the wall!"

Cece held her hand up in defeat. "Okay. You know what, your right. We're sorry. How about this? Schmidt and I will just stay at my place for a few days?"

"I'm fine with that." Schmidt said shrugging his shoulders and wrapping his arms around Cece, kissing her on the forehead. As tired as she was, she let herself be taken in by him and brought her arms up around him with her head on his chest. She was actually looking forward to the new arrangement. Nadia was out of town for a few days, so they would have the place to themselves. She smiled at the thought. Just the two of them…all alone. She couldn't wait.

* * *

 **The Next Day**

Schmidt pulled his 'man-bulance' into the first available spot he could find outside Cece's apartment. After the day he had at work, he was kind of excited to spend the evening in a quiet house without his idiotic roommates running around wreaking havoc. Just him with the woman he loved. Nothing but absolute serenity.

He rode the elevator, and the closer he got to her floor, the more he started toying with his keys. He was way too excited to finally use his keys to her place. It made their relationship feel that much more real to him. The elevator doors opened and he made his way towards the apartment. The key slid in easily and the lock disengaged without any issue. Before he opened the door, he took a moment to contain his enthusiasm. He wanted so badly to walk in a shout 'Honey I'm Home!' But he knew Cece would probably throw a shoe at him if he did. He took a deep breath and opened the door and once he entered the apartment…his jaw dropped.

Standing before him, in the candlelit room that smelled of vanilla, was the woman he loved, wearing only his treasured kimono, holding two glasses of wine. Schmidt closed the door and set his bag down, but that was all he could bring himself to do. Cece knowing full well the state of shock she sent her man into, walked over to him as seductively as she could, just to go that extra mile. She handed him his glass of wine, grabbed his tie and used it like a leash to lead him into the living room.

"What…is all of this?" he eventually mustered up the strength to ask.

"I just wanted to do something nice for my fiancé. So I went to the loft earlier today and packed you some of your things…including this." She used her free hand to gesture to the length of her body showing off his kimono. "And then I grabbed your favorite from Asakune for dinner."

"You…are…amazing." Schmidt inched closer to her, never breaking the hold their eyes had on each other. "I love you, Cece."

She smiled back at him. "I love you too, Schmidt." It was effortless for her at this point. The day they got engaged, Cece had made her first vow, just to herself. She was going to say those three words to him every chance she got. Cece was completely dedicated to this relationship. She wanted him to be her last and only, for the rest of their lives.

They ate their dinner at the table sharing stupid stories and little laughs. It was always so easy when they were together, simply talking and enjoying each other's company. When they finished their meal, that Schmidt had absolutely loved, they made their way to the couch with what was left of the wine bottle. They talked about the wedding and basked in the happiness they felt for being together once again, this time for good.

Talking wasn't the only thing they were good at. After they began to feel the effects of the wine make its way to their heads, one thing led to another, and they decided to let their bodies do the talking. It was then that they realized what their friends were talking about. They were loud. Although what their friends didn't understand, or rather didn't want to understand, was that their high volume was the way they expressed the passion they were experiencing. Neither of them had that with anyone else. It was something special that they shared together.

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 **So that is the first chapter. Next one should be up pretty soon. Hope everyone is liking it so far. Please let me know what you think. I'm eager for feedback. Thanks For Reading!**


	2. Kiss Me Under The Light of 1,000 Stars

**Okay. Here is the second chapter. Sorry if this FanFic seems a little out there, but it's been a while since I've been able to write anything, so I just ran with the first thing that I could bring myself to work on. Hope you guys like it regardless. Let me know, and thanks again for reading! :-)!**

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Schmidt and Cece had spent the first few days of the holiday weekend in complete ecstasy, wrapped up into each other, and completely shut off from the world. Days seemed to blend together as they lost all sense of time. It was as if they were the only people on the planet.

They finally realized that The Fourth of July was upon them when they began to hear piercing whistling noises accompanied shortly after by deafening pops. The sun was almost fully set underneath the west horizon and the city's population had commenced their celebration. Schmidt and Cece had decided to take a pause from their sensual game of body Jenga. They pulled the couch up to the window and snuggled up together wrapped in nothing but the sheets from the bed, sipping on a glass of wine, watching the bursts of color light up across the night sky.

Cece watched the display in amazement. It was like she was seeing it for the first time, with brand new eyes. Schmidt looked down at her. He was captivated. Her gorgeous smile made him weak. The way the colors of the fireworks danced across her flawless and beautiful face, was exactly what he needed to see to rid him of the nerves that had slowly crept up on him. He knew now was the perfect moment.

"Cece," Schmidt said to her softly, moving slightly to turn and face her completely. She reluctantly pulled her eyes away from the show that was transpiring just outside her apartment window and met the gaze of her fiancé. Schmidt took a deep breath before he continued. "I love you, Cece. Probably more than you will ever know. That's why I never want this to end." Schmidt took another deep breath and the two of them met each other's eyes, causing them both to smile helplessly at one another. "Cece, will you marry me?" he asked.

Cece was confused but just had to smile at how cute he was being. "You know I will babe….but you already asked me that. And remember…I said yes?" She continued to smile at him, loving how sweet and romantic he was.

Schmidt grinned back at her. Little did she know it was in an effort to distract her from seeing his right hand fumbling through the couch cushions that were behind him. It took him a few seconds of fidgeting before he was finally able to retrieve the item he had hidden away earlier in the evening.

"I know." Schmidt said trying to hide the confidence in his tone. "But this time…" he slowly brought his around in front of him, "…I want to do it the right way." With that, he presented to the woman he loved more than anything, a box opened to reveal a gorgeous Tressa 6mm 14 karat White Gold Diamond Twist Engagement ring.

Cece's eyes grew wide and all the oxygen left her body. She was at a loss for words. Her hands had absentmindedly brought themselves up to her mouth. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She couldn't believe that it was being given to her. Cece looked back up at Schmidt, he was smiling at her the same way he had the last time he popped the question to her just a few weeks ago. This time, she could see a small hint of tears welling up in his eyes, and hers did the same.

"Schmidt…When did you– ?...H-how did y–?..." Cece could barely utter a sentence. With a million thoughts racing through her mind, she didn't know what to say to him first. Luckily, he was prepared for and praying for this reaction.

"I got it a few weeks after we got back together." He told her. "Jess helped me pick it out. I've been carrying it around with me trying to find a good time to give it to you. And you just…you look so beautiful tonight, I couldn't resist." Schmidt had always had a way with words. Usually, it was a way that compelled his friends to demand he make a deposit to his infamous 'Douchebag Jar'.

"Schmidt…It's gorgeous. It's….It's perfect." She cupped his face in her hands and pulled him in for the most tender of all kisses that they had shared that weekend.

As they pulled away, her hands remained where they were, and the two of them went back to staring at each other, lovingly. "I take it that it's still yes?" Schmidt asked foolishly.

"Oh, Baby…It's a hell yes!" Cece said enthusiastically, pulling him in once more for a passionate kiss, then surrendering her left hand to him and watching in awe as he gently placed the ring on her finger.

They remained on the couch for a few moments longer with their lips firmly planted on one another's. They were so involved with each other that neither had noticed the fireworks display had long since ended. But there was no stopping them. There was no interrupting this moment for them. After four years of build-up and let-down they were here. Four years of both mutual affection and stubbornness, but the universe had ultimately settled in their favor, and had allowed them to move past themselves and land in something far greater.

Schmidt scooped Cece up in his arms. With her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, he carried her out of the living room, through the hallway, past the framed five dollar bill hung up on the wall that memorialized the day they had first met (or so they thought) and the day that they would forever remember as the day they began their greatest love affair. They reached the bedroom and closed the door, symbolically shutting out the world once more, to be alone with each other consummating their engagement that was, in all eyes, a long time coming.

* * *

 **The Next Morning**

Cece stood over the stove, constantly turning at the eggs cooking in the pan. Schmidt came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, hugging her from behind. She placed her free hand on top of his, smiling as he kissed her cheek. Once again she thought to herself…' _Perfect'_.

Schmidt kissed her one more time on the back of her head before turning towards the cupboard and grabbing the coffee. Just as he pressed the 'on' button, there was a knock on the door. Schmidt could see Cece was still manning the stove.

"I got it babe." He told her leaving the kitchen and heading for the front door. He figured it was Jess coming over to check on them. It had been a few days since they left the loft and in their pseudo honeymoon stupor, they had kept their phones off and put away. Mentally, he was preparing himself for the hell he was sure to face from the 5'5" wide-eyed middle school Vice Principal. He learned early on that when it came to the people she cared about, Jess was downright feisty. It was one of the qualities they shared and what he liked most about her. It was also something she shared with his future-wife, which made them ideal best friends. Almost as if their lives together were meant to be.

Schmidt opened the door and was met by an older woman, not Jess, who he had never met, but knew instantly. She was a dark haired Indian woman in, what looked to be her early fifties. Looking at her, Schmidt caught a glimpse into his future. It took everything he had to resist the urge to smile, because he knew if he did, she would more than likely take it the wrong way, and he wanted to make a good impression on his future mother-in-law, especially given the fact that the chips were already stacked against him.

Since they had never met, Schmidt feigned ignorance. "Can I help you?" he asked her innocently. She took a moment before answering and looked him up and down, sizing him up and mentally judging him. He internally shrugged it off out of respect to the situation.

"Is Cecilia here?" She asked with small and subtle hints of both attitude and a faded accent.

"Yes," he said stepping to the side and opening the door all the way to allow her access. "Come on in." Cece's mother walked passed him, entering her daughters apartment.

"Thank you." She said to Schmidt before making her way down the hallway and into the living room. Schmidt was only a few steps aside. When they both reached the living room, her mother just stood there waiting for her daughter to turn around, but Cece was too preoccupied with cooking breakfast for the two of them.

Schmidt stood awkwardly next to the elder Mrs. Parekh. He brought his hand up to rub the back of his head as he did when he was nervous. He had no idea if he should speak first or wait for her to. Luckily his bride-to-be unknowingly beat them both to the punch.

With her back still turned to them, Cece turned off the stove and scooped the eggs from the hot pan to the plate on the counter next to her. "Hey babe…Who was at the door?" she yelled to Schmidt.

Schmidt took too long trying to think of what to tell her, and once again, he was beaten out by a Parekh woman. "Hello Cecilia." Her mother said in a deadpan tone, causing the hairs on the back of Cece's head to stand on end. She turned around slowly, praying to God that Schmidt was terrifyingly amazing at impressions of people he had never met, but she knew better. When she caught sight of her mother standing next to her Jewish fiancé, Cece's eyes grew wider than Jess' and she knew she was in for the grandest of all lectures.

"Mom," she said nervously, "What are you doing here?"

"You don't return my calls, so I had to come and see for myself if what I've been hearing is true. You're engaged?" She looked over to Schmidt, "To him?" her tone was littered with disappointment.

"How did you hear about that?" Cece asked her.

"Your friend Jessica. Apparently she posted a picture of you on… _Facebook_? It said that you were engaged…to a man named Schmidt." Again her mother threw a look towards her future son-in-law, and it grew more and more dirty each time she did. "Some of your cousins saw it as well as your older brother. Eventually the news made its way around to me. I tried to call you but, like I said…you haven't returned my calls."

Cece didn't know what to say. It was the second time in less than twenty-four hours that words had completely escaped her, but this wasn't as joyous as occasion as the former had been. This time, she was near ready to vomit. She knew at some point she would have to tell her mother that she was engaged yet again. This time however, it was the real deal. You would think that a woman would be over the moon to call up her own mother and deliver the exciting news of her pending nuptials, but Cece was dreading it beyond belief. During her engagement to Shivrang, Priyanka Parekh was delighted, but not as ecstatic as mothers usually were in the event of their daughters' upcoming matrimony. Cece had figured that due to the fact that the marriage had been organized by her mother, there was very little to be excited over. But then again, since she was a little girl, her mother had been preparing her to carry out the tradition of an arranged marriage when she was of age, so one would assume that when the day ultimately arrived, she would display some semblance of emotion.

Now she was engaged to be married, but this time was different. _He_ was different. Cece was completely and irrevocably in love with this man. He was also a Jewish man, and in her mother's eyes, that reprehensible. She could have gone the rest of her life without telling her mother, and was fully prepared to do so.

"I was going to tell you." She partially lied.

"I'm sure you were." Priya replied. She set her purse down on the couch and folded her arms. With the expressionless face she seemed to have mastered, she turned to Schmidt. He thought to himself she must kick ass in poker games. "If you will excuse us…I'd like speak with my daughter privately. You can leave now."

Schmidt stood uncomfortably for a moment looking back and forth between the two women. He turned to leave. "Hang on babe." Cece blurted out. At first she hadn't realized that it was her that uttered the words. Schmidt stopped and turned back around, somewhat surprised himself.

Cece walked past her mother and joined Schmidt. She stood in front of him, her back brushed right up against his chest in a protective manner. "Whatever you have to say to me, you can say it in front of my fiancé." Cece, with her arms down at her sides, subtly search for his hand with hers. When she felt it, she interlaced her fingers with his and held it tightly.

Priya saw this and looked at each of them. She truly didn't care whether Schmidt was present for this conversation or not, she just figured that Cece would not take too kindly to her speaking badly about what she herself had considered her daughter's "latest fling".

Priya breathed a sigh signifying nonchalance. To Cece, it was the starting bell for a prized boxing match. The battle had begun. "You're not getting married. Not to _him_."

"The _hell_ I'm not!" She snapped back.

"Cecilia! I'm serious. You have already embarrassed this family once by walking away from a good man. I will not have you tarnish what's left of our reputation by marrying a _Jewish_ man." Cece had told him before, but hearing her say it aloud had Schmidt convinced beyond a reasonable doubt. Her mother  hated Jews.

Cece rolled her eyes. "First of all, Shivrang and I both were in love with other people. Good guy or not, that was never going to last. Second of all, this has nothing to do with our family's reputation. This is about me and him." She motioned to Schmidt still standing behind her.

"I am thinking of you here, Cecilia."

"No you're not. You're thinking of you!"

"No I'm trying to keep you from throwing your life away!"

At that, Cece was hit with a rush of déjà vu, taking her back to High School and having this conversation with her mother at least once a week. "How would I be throwing my life away?"

"By marrying _him_. It's against to our culture!"

"I don't care. I love him."

"You need to. It's a disgrace!"

"No mom…The only disgrace is you!" Cece was having an out-of-body experience. It was the only way to explain what had come over her. Her entire life she had prayed for the courage to stand up to her mother this way. With everyone else in the world, defending herself was as easy as a second nature for her, but never with the woman who raised her. She knew she had it in her. Why it never manifested itself until now was beyond her. Then she realized….It was Schmidt. Standing there, right behind her, with their hands embraced, she felt undeniable strength. With every squeeze of insecurity she gave him, he would answer back with an elusive and delicate caress or touch for reassurance. It only made her loved him more.

"How dare you speak to me that way? Your father would turn over in his grave!"

"Daddy would be proud that I'm doing what makes me happy. That's all he ever wanted for me." He voice started to break as it sometimes did when she spoke of her father. She missed him.

"Your father would want you to be taken care of. He would want you to settle down with an Indian man. To give him Indian grandchildren. Neither of which can be achieved if you marry a Jew."

"I can take care of myself. I have been since I was fifteen."

"Listen to me Cecilia-"

"No…you listen." What came next was the result of years of pent up anger and dejection. Everything from tears to words came flowing out freely and Cece was helpless to stop it. "For the first time in my entire life I am happy. Truly and completely happy. And honestly…I couldn't care less about our culture. You and daddy immigrated to America because you wanted a better life for your children, right? Well I have finally found that better life. Schmidt has been the love of my life since the day that I met him. We may have been through some rough patches, but every couple who loves each other the way that we do has had their share of issues. And ours have only made us stronger together as a result. Since day one, he has never failed to tell me how he feels about me. He has gone out of his way to let me know how beautiful he thinks I am. He has been right there for me through everything. And even when I was too stubborn to admit to myself how I felt about him, he waited patiently for me to be ready. I am in love with him and I am going to spend the rest of my life with him. I know you don't approve and it upsets you, and I'm sorry about that-… Actually…I'm not. I will never again apologize for falling for this man. Not to you, not myself, not to anyone. So I just need you to accept it."

Priya took a moment before responding. She didn't want to let her tone reflect that of her daughters. "Cecilia. You may think you know what's best, but you're wrong. You might think you love him but trust me that will change. I know what you need and what you need to do is listen to me. Your father did want you to be happy. So you need to honor his wishes. You know I'm right. You know what you need to do."

Cece wiped the tears that had fallen down the side of her face. She recomposed herself and stood up straight. "You're right." She said before walking past her mother, a defeated look plagued her face. She opened the door. "I think you should go." Cece sounded crushed. Her voice was soft and catching.

Schmidt couldn't believe she had let her mother win. After everything she had finally gotten off her chest, he thought at the very least, they could both begin to understand each other. Priya turned towards Schmidt, arms folded with a faint hint of a devious smile.

"Yes you should. My daughter and I have a lot more we need to discuss."

"I wasn't talking to him…I was talking to you mom." She got confused looks from the both of them.

Priya was more than astonished. "Cecilia. You must be joking."

"I'm not." She said. "Get Out." Priya angrily grabbed her purse and headed towards the door, looking back at Schmidt one last time. Before she could cross over the threshold, Cece stopped her with what she could only assume would be the last thing she would ever say to her mother. "Just so we're clear, that is the _last_ time you insult my fiancé in front of me. And be sure to tell the family I said hi while you're explaining to them how you were disowned by your only daughter." With that, Cece slammed the door, not bothering to give her the satisfaction of one last look.

Cece walked back into the living room stopping a few feet in front of Schmidt. He stood there staring at her with a sympathetic look. Without a word, she rushed into his arms. He held her close, cradling her head out of affection as she let the tears flow freely from her eyes.

"I'm sorry." She said between streams. "She had no right to talk about you like that."

"You have nothing to apologize for." He told her. "I am proud of you though. I know what it took tell her all of that. It couldn't have been easy."

"No. But it was long overdue."

"Well look at the bright side," he said trying to lighten the mood in the only way he knew how. "You got through that intact. That means you can tell off my mom, no problem."

Cece laughed gratefully. "I can't wait." She said sarcastically.

"I did like what you said…about us."

She looked up at him. "Yeah?"

He looked down at her lovingly with a smile. "Yeah. You made us sound like a couple straight out of 'The Notebook'. Except, of course Rachel McAdams has nothing on you and I make Ryan Gosling look like a hobo." He was dead serious. Cece's smile turned into a straight-faced eye roll.

"Jar." Was all she could say as she shook her head. Schmidt chuckled to himself. He couldn't wait to marry this woman.

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 **Third and final chapter will be up sometime next week with any luck. Lot's of stuff going on but writing is how I relax. Hope you guys are enjoying the story and will read the last chapter. Please review and critique me. Need to get better. Appreciate it!**


	3. We Found Love Right Where We Are

**Sorry it took so long. I had a lot going on. But here is the final chapter. Warning, I didn't really have that much time to edit, so if there are any errors, or it doesn't make any sense, please let me know. I appreciate everyone who has been reading and reviewing, it means a hell of a lot to me. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks!**

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One Year Later

Today was the day. It had been the longest year of Cece's life, but to her relief it had passed. The day that she had been waiting for was finally here. She was getting married. With all the anticipation she had building up for this day, she never thought about how she would feel when it was ultimately upon them. She was panicked.

"Okay…how do I look?" Cece was nervous. Her hands kept fidgeting and she felt like she was about to have an anxiety attack. Just the thought of standing up before hundreds of people promising to spend the rest of her life with the man she loved, made her far beyond anxious. Being a model, she was used to having all eyes on her. That wasn't the problem. She had a hard enough time telling Schmidt how she felt, but now that she had to do it in front of all their friends and family. She didn't know how she was going to survive that.

Jess stood before her best friend, in genuine awe of the way she looked in her Wedding Dress. "You look gorgeous." She said bringing her hands up to her mouth with astonishment.

"You really think so?" She needed reassurance. Now more than ever.

Jess nodded her head vigorously. "Absolutely. Schmidt is going to lose him mind when he sees you." At the mention of his name, Cece inadvertently let a few tears escape. All day she had been an emotional mess. Like a ticking bomb, there was no telling when she was going to be set off.

Jess frowned. This was the fourth time that day that she had been directly responsible for bringing the bride to tears. "What's wrong? What did I say?"

Cece shook her head. "It's not you. I just can't believe I'm getting married today. I'm just…so damn happy." Jess laughed. Cece wasn't one for happy tears.

"Well, nobody is happier for you than me, but if I have to do your makeup one more time, I'm going to lose it."

She was right. Jess had done and redone her makeup several times. "You're right. I need to stop." Cece wiped her tears and the running the mascara from her cheeks. So much for the waterproof brand.

As Jess finished her eighth makeup retouch that morning, there was a knock on the door to the bridal suite. She had assumed it was the other bridesmaids, so she was surprised to find the groom on the other side when she opened the door.

"Schmidt." She said stunned to see him. Jess quickly closed the door just enough for him to only see an inch through. She didn't want him seeing the bride. "What are you doing here? You know the rule!"

"I know, but I need to talk to Cece." He said quietly.

"As the maid of honor, I can't allow that." Jess said with her chin held high. Ever since Cece had asked her to be her Maid of Honor, she had taken the position all too seriously.

Schmidt rolled his eyes. "C'mon Jess. Just two minutes…please." He sounded desperate.

Jess tried to be cooperative out of respect to her best friend. "Tell you what, why don't you tell me what you want to tell her and I can relay the message?"

"No, I'd like her to hear it from me." Schmidt was adamant about this.

Jess' eyes bugged out as her mind jumped to the worst case scenario. She pushed him out of the doorway and closed the door behind her, joining him in the hallway yelling at him in a harsh whisper so Cece wouldn't hear. "Oh my god, Schmidt. You're not calling it off are you? How could you do this to Cece? That is such a douche move. A million dollars in the jar…right now!"

Schmidt held his hands up in front of himself in defense. "Jess, calm down. I'm not calling anything off, are you crazy? I just want to talk to Cece one last time before we're officially married. I won't look, I promise, you can hide her if you want."

Jess took a deep breath considering his plea. "Okay, fine. Wait right here." She opened the door a crack, enough to let herself squeeze through, and closed it behind her.

"Is everything okay?" Cece asked curiously.

"Schmidt wants to talk to you."

"What about?"

Jess shook her head. "No idea. He just said he wanted to talk to you one last time before you were officially married."

"Well what do I do? He can't see me like this." Cece was a few seconds away from freaking out. A million things were running through her head. She was wondering what Schmidt would need to talk to her about less than an hour away from the start of their wedding.

"Here," Jess said quickly thinking of a solution "just hide behind that partition." She pointed over to the corner where there stood the room divider Cece had changed behind.

"Okay." Cece said. She pulled up her dress to allow her to move quicker without ruining it. With Jess' help, she hid behind the partition. Jess maneuvered it around her to ensure she was completely hidden from all angles. She made sure Cece was okay standing behind there before walking to the door to let Schmidt in.

"Okay, c'mon in. Stand right there so you can't see her. She's behind that partition over there. You have five minutes Schmidt."

"Thanks Jess." Schmidt said to her as she left the room, closing the door behind her. He turned to face the room divider and called out to his bride. "Cece?"

"Hey. Is everything okay?" She asked him. It felt weird for her talking him through a wall.

"Everything is fine. I just had something I had to get off my chest before we do this." By the sound of his voice, Cece could tell he was nervous.

"Are you getting cold feet?" She asked him, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Schmidt couldn't believe she had thought that was possible. "Of course not."

Cece ignored his response. "Because if you're having regrets about this Schmidt I would completely understand, you just need to tell me.-"

"Cece, the only regret I have is not marrying you a long time ago." They both went quiet for a moment. That was not what she had been expecting. He had planned this conversation to go differently, but now that he started, he figured he should get it all out there. "I have been in love with you since the second I laid eyes on you. And I don't want to marry you without first telling you how incredibly happy you make me." He paused for a moment, thinking about all the things he loved about her and smiled to himself. "I never told you this, but I love how enchanting your eyes are to me. No matter what is happening in my life, all I have to do is look into your gorgeous brown eyes, and all my problems that seem monumental just float away. Then you're all I think about. Being with you takes away all my insecurities and all my fears. Actually, the only fear that I have is that I can tell you 'I Love You' a thousand times every day for the rest of our lives and it still wouldn't be enough for you to know just how deep that love is. But I promise that I will do whatever it takes to prove it to you, because I never want be without you again."

Cece couldn't respond just yet. She was busy crying to herself, with her hand over her mouth so he wouldn't hear. "Dammit Schmidt." She said to him.

Schmidt wasn't expecting that to be her reaction. But he did love that she could always keep him guessing. "What?"

"You're just…so…" She was having trouble figuring out what to say. "Every time I think I couldn't possibly be any more in love with you than I already am…you do or say something that takes it to a whole new level. Plus you're making me cry which is ruining my makeup, so Jess is going to kill me." They both laughed.

"I'm sorry." Schmidt said between chuckles.

"No. Don't apologize. It's exactly why I love you. Since day one, you have always told me how you felt. Even when I was too guarded to admit my feelings to you, you were always so patient and understanding with me. That's how I know that when you tell me you love me, you mean it with everything you have in your heart and soul. So you never have to worry, because I know."

Schmidt stood there for a moment, just smiling to himself. With her having said that, his biggest fear had practically vanished from within him. "So," he said with his face beaming, "What do you say we go out there and get married?"

"I'd love to." She told him. "But I may need to take some of your anxiety pills to get through this thing." She was feeling the nerves creep back. Her palms started to sweat and her breathing grew shallow.

"You nervous?" He asked her. He was somewhat relieved to hear it. Learning of her flaws only strengthened what he felt for her.

"Yeah, I am." She told him. "You know me Schmidt, I can't always just say what I feel. And going out there, in front of everyone, being all vulnerable…I think I'm going to pass out."

"Hey. I promise you that everything is going to be fine. It may seem nerve-racking right now, but you're going to be great. Just relax." He knew what he was saying was no help.

"I don't know if I can." Her voice broke as she started crying again, but this time it was out of fear rather than enthusiasm.

"Hey, you know what?" Schmidt said, taking charge trying to put his future wife's mind at ease. "You said it earlier, I know you. Which means I know how strong you are. And I know that you can handle anything. So trust me when I tell you…you can do this. And when you're walking down that aisle, if you start to get nervous or scared with all those people watching you, then just look at me. Keep our eyes on me. I'm going to be right there for you. Because after today, I will always be right by your side, through everything. It's you and me against the world."

"I love you, you know that?" She asked him as the pit in her stomach subsided and her breathing evened out.

"Yeah I do." He told her. "Now I gotta go…supposed to meet this girl at the altar…gonna spend the rest of my life with her."

Cece smiled. "Me too. I'm marrying a douche today."

"Good luck with that." Schmidt turned to the door.

"You too." She said just before he left. Cece was feeling much better, and now she couldn't wait to get out there. As she came out from behind the partition, she looked into the mirror and instantly knew Jess was going to be pissed.

* * *

Cece sat quietly trying not to move as Jess finished up retouching her makeup for the umpteenth time. She barely even wanted to breathe for fear of angering her any more than she already had.

"Okay. The third times a charm." Jess said setting her brush down.

"Thank you so much Jess, and again I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting Schmidt to be so…damn romantic."

"It's fine. Just try not to cry again until you're up at the altar hearing his vows."

"I promise." Cece meant it. She didn't want to waste all her tears on small trivial moments. She wanted to save something for Schmidt when they exchanged their vows. They heard a knock on the door once again, and it opened a bit as Cece's brother poked his head in.

"Hey ladies. We all set?" Chan, short for Chandresh, was Cece's older brother, Schmidt's fourth groomsmen, and the person who was going to walk Cece down the aisle.

"Yes we are." Jess said with an exasperated tone. She couldn't wait for this day to be over.

"Good cause the rest of the bridesmaids are lining up at the door." He finally took the time to admire his baby sister in her wedding gown. "Oh my god. Cece you look beautiful. If only dad could see you now, he'd be so proud." Cece started to get emotional again thinking about her father. She was on the verge of tears but tried with everything she had to fight it.

"Hey!" Jess screamed to Chan. "No dad talk. I _just_ redid her makeup."

"Sorry." Chan said terrified. Maid of Honor Jess scared him to no end.

"It's okay." Cece said. "I'm good."

"Alright. I'm going to go line up with the rest of the girls." Jess was on her way out. As she reached the door and opened it, she was shocked to find Cece's mother standing on the other side, with her arm raised ready to knock.

"Hi." Jess said awkwardly, turning to Cece. She knew what had gone down between her and her mother in the year before and didn't expect to see her there. Cece was surprised by the sudden appearance herself, but kept a hardened expression on her face.

"Can we talk?" Priya asked her daughter. Cece just stood there, not saying a word. Jess and Chan looked back and forth between the two women, hoping for some semblance of reconciliation, but could tell that was the furthest from Cece's mind. "Please, Cecilia." She begged.

"Fine." Cece was going to allow her to say what she came to say for the sake of her brother. He had been asking her to give their mother another chance for months. "I'll be out in a minute." She told her brother and best friend.

Jess couldn't believe it. She was the Maid of Honor, it was her duty to create a complete drama-free and happy day, and she would be damned if she let anyone, especially the mother of the bride, ruin that. "This is supposed to be a happy day DAMMIT!" Chan grabbed Jess and ushered her out of the bridal suite. He was eager to have his mother and sister patch things up.

They were alone. Cece wanted to preserve her callous demeanor. She didn't want to let her guard down. "What do you want?" she asked coldly.

"I just wanted to talk to you."

"Why? Is this some last ditch effort to convince me not to go through with this? No matter what you say…I'm going to marry him."

"I know. I came here to tell you…that I'm sorry."

Cece swore she misheard her. There was no way she had just apologized. "You're what?"

"I'm sorry." Priya repeated. "I _never_ should have tried to dictate your life for you. You're the only one who can know what will make you happy. I should have just listened to you. Maybe if I had, we wouldn't be where we are today."

"And where is that?" Cece asked.

"Me standing here before my _stunning_ daughter on her wedding day, begging her for her forgiveness."

"Why now?"

"Because I would never forgive myself if you got married without me there. Your brother has been telling me all about the wedding plans. I hate myself for not being a part of any of it."

"Well, you're the one who made that choice."

"I know. This entire time, I was just trying to do what was best for you. For a while I thought that that's exactly what I was doing. Then I realized, I turned into my mother. Since I was old enough to walk, she had planned out every step she wanted me to take. Everything I have ever done in my life, I did because she told me to. I hated her so much for it. I felt like my entire life was being wasted following a path that wasn't even mine. Then, I married your father. I thought I was going to grow into a miserable woman stuck in a marriage with a man I barely knew, that I didn't even love, but that's when it happened. I fell in love with him. We had your brother, then you…it was everything I never knew I wanted. I started thinking, maybe my mother knew all along what she was setting me up for. Her methods may have been unbearable, but in the end, I was incredibly grateful to her. I never meant to go about it with you the way she had with me. I guess somewhere down the road, I got caught up in trying to ensure a life for you that was greater than the one I was granted, but I got too overzealous trying to accomplish that. And it was you who paid the price. For that, I will never stop apologizing."

It was easy to see where Cece got her resilience. Priya was fighting back tears as hard as she could, but it didn't really get her anywhere. Both she and her daughter were defenseless against the reign of their own emotions. "I'm not the only one you need to apologize to. You were _really_ cruel to Schmidt." Cece said softly.

"You're right." Priya eagerly agreed. "He didn't deserve that." She really did have every intention of righting her wrongs. "I had dinner with your brother about a month ago. He told me all about Schmidt. What he's like, how he is with you, what he does. From what I hear, he seems like a great guy. I hope I can get the chance to get to know him…if I haven't ruined my chances yet."

"Well, that's up to him….but I don't see why not. He's not exactly the type to hold a grudge. Not typically. And I would really like that." Her voice started to break as her inner walls got weaker. "If the two of you got to know each other. He really is a great man. And he treats me like a queen. Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky."

Priya smiled. "Because nobody deserves it more than you do Cecilia. Given all that you've had to endure at my hand. I am so happy for you."

"Thanks mom." Cece said as she was now completely weeping.

"So…can we start over, and have a true mother daughter relationship?"

"I think we can handle that." With that, they both embraced for a long overdue hug and Priya joined in on her daughter's sobs. When she was all cried out, Cece wiped away the tears from her face and saw that some of her makeup was running. "Dammit! Jess is going to kill me."

"Here. I got it." Priya offered, sitting her daughter down in front of the vanity mirror and reapplying her daughter's makeup. As she sat there, looking up at her mother, both having cheerful smiles plastered on their faces, Cece finally felt ready and eager to walk down that aisle. After years of strain, she and her mother were finally in a good place in their relationship, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

* * *

Schmidt stood up at the altar, ready for the ceremony to get underway. In just a few minutes, the music would start and his bride would emerge. He had dreamt of this day four over five years, but none of his wonderful daydreams could come close to comparing to the real thing.

He turned towards his groomsmen to give them a last once over, and noticed them all staring up the aisle. Looking over to see what had captivated their attention, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. From across the room, he saw his future mother-in-law close the church doors behind her and make her way towards the altar. Schmidt couldn't help himself from staring. Never in a million years did he think this would happen.

Priyanka Parekh walked down the aisle. She looked up to her daughter's fiancé, caught his eye and, to Schmidt's surprise, smiled to him sincerely before sitting down next to Jess' mom in the front row. Schmidt turned to Nick, Coach and Winston as they all shared a look of befuddlement at what had just transpired.

* * *

Cece's arm was gripped tightly through her brother's. Through the double doors of the church's grand hall entrance, she heard the pianist begin to play the song she was to walk the aisle to. Jess and the rest of her bridesmaids were lined up in front of her around the corner so that when the doors opened she wouldn't be seen yet. She used what little time she had left before the doors were set to open, to prevent a panic attack. As she took slow and deep breathes, her hands fidgeted. Chan looked over to her and smiled at his baby sister. "Take it easy sis. This is your day…and it's going to be perfect." He whispered in her ear, and then softly kissed her forehead.

"It means a lot to me that you're walking me down the aisle."

Suddenly, the doors opened. Jess, Sadie, May and Melissa all looked back at the bride, giving her a beaming smile, then walked one by one down the aisle to the altar as they had rehearsed the day before.

It was now her turn. Chan gave her hand a reassuring squeeze one last time, then escorted her, gracefully down the aisle. As many times as she had toured the church and planned out the entire ceremony, it never dawned on her until now, just how long the walk was to the altar.

Cece was once again starting to feel nervous with all the attention and people staring at her. She remembered what Schmidt had told her. 'If you start to get nervous or scared with all those people watching you, then just look at me. Keep our eyes on me. I'm going to be right there for you.'

With each step that got her closer to her dream, she saw Schmidt more clearly. From even that distance, she could see his radiant smile and the sparkle in his eyes from the tears that were forming. Cece smiled, not out of joy, but in thinking back to a remark made by Jess while they were drunk at her bachelorette party a few weeks back. She had told Cece that when she walks down that aisle and she looked up at Schmidt, if he didn't have tears in his eyes the minute he saw her in that wedding dress, then she needed to turn around and walk the hell out of that church. 'Because you my friend…are going to look cripplingly stunning.'

At long last, she had reached her destination. The music had stopped and Schmidt had descended the steps to meet her.

"And who gives this woman to this man?" asked the Priest. Chan looked in the eyes of his beautiful baby sister.

"I do." He said before kissing her gently on the forehead. He turned to Schmidt and shook his hand firmly, silently letting him know that he had his blessing. As Schmidt held out his arm for his bride to take, Chan took his place behind the rest of the groomsmen, and the couple climbed the steps to their future.

The ceremony was lovely, elegant and sweet. As the two exchanged their vows, every occupant was moved to tears. Especially those that knew them and their history. They announced their promises to cherish one another, they pledged their love and assured each other that through any turmoil's they should face, they would confront them head-on, together. Neither one of them had ever been as happy as they were in this moment. Cece had said it before, she wanted something that lasted, and she wanted it with him. Now, she would definitely have it. And Schmidt knew he would never find anyone better than Cece, and he wasn't wrong.

* * *

 **Again, I hope you guys liked it. A lot of people keep asking me to write more Schmece stories and I'm more than happy to. I'm working on a few more stories, so be on the lookout for those. It may take a while, but bear with me, they're coming. Thank you guys so much for reading and thanks for the reviews, it keeps me going. YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! Schmece forever!**


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